Ripper
by TheNobodyofaSOLDIER
Summary: <html><head></head>[Yandere!Levi x Prostitute!Reader] [AU]</html>


Paranoia infected you as you wandered the Whitechapel streets that night, a tiny decision you would come to regret for the rest of your life. Underneath the black and grey hues of the sky, a thin fog settled around your feet. A cold wind moaned through London in attempt to clear away the mist and smoke billowing from the workhouses and chimneys. The moistened bricks on the street reflected the light of the flickering lanterns. Orphans brushed by you, occasionally glancing up at you with hollow eyes. Drunks plastered up against the wall and mumbled incoherent jabbers. Hooves clicking along the pavements, horses whinnied as they carried their masters to their destinations.

But, despite all the distractions, you honed in on one sound only: the footsteps trailing close behind you.

Every day for the past week, you heard their soft patter behind you; when you entered the safety of you droll little home, when you accepted a client, when you escorted a man, even just weaving in and out.

Each day, you heard them again...and again...and again.

You no longer felt peace in your home, in your bed, in your dreams. When you closed your eyes, you perceived the footsteps following you into the corridors of your mind. Your mind concocted ghastly visions, explaining their origins and disturbing your sleep. Your heart never ceased its race. Your limbs stiffened at the quivering slowly controlling them.

Peace of mind; that was all you longed for.

With a hard, rather dry swallow, you leaned against the slippery lamppost, waiting for clearance. You listened closely for any sort of sound and hoped desperately that your shadow would leave you be.

Quietly whimpering, you buried your face in your sweaty palms.

"Miss [Name]?"

You nearly yelped and recoiled back. However, upon seeing the speaker, you sighed with relief.

"Dr. Ackerman," you placed a hand over your chest. "Forgive me."

It was only your old family doctor. Dressed in his long coat and top hat protecting him from the mist, he had been concealed in the shadows, awaiting his carriage. A strange relationship you had: once you dwelled among riches. A rebellious child were you, refusing to listen to the expectations placed upon you. But, Levi appreciated this about you. With each visit, he came to know you at a tender age, only to grow closer to you with each passing year. As you grew, so did unspoken, forbidden feelings.

Even after you abandoned your arrange marriage, causing your parents to throw you in the streets, he allowed your visits in his hospital. He visited you. Even when you found no other way to support yourself, save for selling your body to those who wanted it, he came to you when you needed it most whether you were ill or not.

Without him, you might ended yourself long ago, but those tender sentiments you directed towards him drove you on.

A jet black eyebrow arched. "Rather suspicious there."

You gulped and shook your head. "These days have been rather difficult for me. I am rather tired."

He sighed and clicked his tongue. "Why bother visiting me at all if you refuse to listen to what I say?"

You chuckled. "I apologize, sir. The streets are unsafe now, so it fills me with anxiety."

Merely humming in reply, he gazed into the distance, ruminating your words. "It is true, especially for your kind, I am sorry to say."

You sunk your head.

He scrutinized your form for a moment as sympathy tainted his emotionless expression. To your surprise, a hand curved about your shoulder.

"Fear not," he said under his breath. "I can protect you, if you will allow me."

Your worried expression softened. He expressed rather crudely his distaste for your job and urged you to live with him. But, with such a lofty reputation, how could you possibly tarnish that? Much to his dismay, you turned down his offer, only keeping his welfare in mind. You still relished in his care for you.

For now, this was enough.

"Thank you," you replied, sensing warmth through your thin dress.

After gazing at you a moment, he parted ways with you and stepped into his carriage. His eyes never left yours as the horse carried away the vehicle.

With a exasperated sigh, you made your way across the street, saddened at his departure.

You continued your way home. Lost in your thoughts, you counted the cracks embedded in the road and wrapped your tattered shawl around your trembling shoulders. Strangely enough, after your encounter with Doctor Ackerman, you felt a little more at peace, like you could breath again.

Only he could bring that to you.

But, all too soon, that comfort dissipated all too quickly. Just as you turned one more corner to reach your withering, little cottage, the footsteps resounded behind you. The terror gripped you so quickly, you nearly vomited and lost the ability to breathe. With a strangled cry, you pivoted to hopefully find the culprit, lurking in the darkness.

Sure enough, you noted a woman who stumbled after you. Concealed with a bonnet, her hair, pulled back in a messy bun, dangled over her face like thin pieces of thread. Much like you, she wore a plain dress, damp from the wet rain. Her sunken eyes were filled with rage, and her breath reeked of alcohol.

"Polly?" you uttered, completely perplexed.

Mary Ann Nichols, otherwise known as Polly, was a fellow prostitute, seeking out clients to pay for her food and housing, just like you. She saw herself as a competitor and strived to obtain more than you, as you crossed each other's paths more often than you liked. To say the least, she utterly despised you...so why would she be following you so late?

You gulped. "Polly? What is this?"

She sauntered closer to you. Her breathes came out in heaves, and her dilated pupils indicated her loss of touch with reality.

"[Naaaaaaame]?" she seethed. "Do you know how long it has been since I have earned even a penny?"

"H-huh?"

The same shuffling steps that haunted you for so long caused you to flinch as she stepped even closer. "You keep stealing every one of my customers. I have beds to pay for. I have food and drink to pay for. But, how can I with you around?! You stupid whore!" her shriek pierced down into your core.

Taking you off guard, she sprinted towards you and gripped your shoulders tightly. "Why?!" she begged. "Why do you do this to me?!"

With a grunt, you reeled back your leg and kicked her in the stomach. While she crumbled to the ground, you turned and sprinted.

"[Name!]" she screamed. "[Name]!"

With what little strength you gathered, you ran. For someone so plastered, she managed to keep a relatively close distance, simply repeating your name in a dreadful shrill. Your throat on fire and your lungs bursting, you pushed a little forward. Tiny tears managed to escape your drying eyes. Nearly slipping, you turned one more corner now making your way to the London Hospital, the only place you felt truly safe.

Levi would be there...

You continued your course with only this in mind. You gazed forward. You weaved through the buildings and alleyways. While you hoped someone would noticed your desperate situation, madmen always wandered these streets. Drunkards frequently engaged each other in stupid arguments.

Why would they pay you any mind?

Finally, your legs became heavy, like dragging weights. Gripping your shirt to keep your pounding pulse from breaking your brittle bones, you pressed your hand against the nearest, slimy wall. You listened for your attacker, those dreaded steps that tormented your mind for so long.

You were greeted by silence, but not a comforting silence. No, outside your panting and the rain beating against the pavement, nothing but a suffocating tension greeted you.

Suddenly, a horrid slicing sound shattered that quietness. No words existed to describe the horror striking you. You were numb, and your heart nearly stopped. These were the only feelings you could note.

The slicing sound grew louder, the metallic noises mixed with sloshing and a loud thud. The nausea squirmed inside you as you became rigid. Slowly, as if your neck had been completely composed of rusted metal, you glanced behind you:

A figure dressed in black hovered over what remained of Mary Ann Nichols. Her throat had been gashed from left to right. Long incisions adorned her abdomen like red ribbons. Crimson seeped into the veins of the street, mingling with the freezing rain. Raising his hand, the culprit dug his scalpel into her stomach with a pound. With a grunt, he tore open what was left, allowing more blood to flow freely. Satisfied with his work, the shadow removed a cloth from his coat pocket, cleaning the blade until it was shimmering silver again.

You watched. Your frail mind could barely take in the sight. You could not fathom this! And yet, how could you deny your senses? The evidence was right before you.

Beneath the rim of his top hat, Levi's slate blue eyes sparkled at you. A horrid, crooked smile stretched across his mouth.

"Such a shame, really," he said, approaching you.

You backed away but not quick enough. Soon, you were caught in his grasp and pressed into the wall. Blood stained his shirt and crusted beneath his jawline. The smell of iron dominated your nostrils nearly making you gag.

"D-Doctor Acker-!"

"Hush, now," he placed a finger over your quivering lips. "Why are you so afraid?"

You squeezed your eyes together, drowning in nothing but confusion. Instead, he placed a light peck on your lips, eyes practically piercing you and grip still form. All you knew to do was shudder.

"I promised I would protect you, did I not?"


End file.
